90 Comments - Gregor - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 6:47 am: It points to the man’s true character. - bcross - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 7:00 am: He is applying the same mathematical analysis that led him to announce that he would balance the budget in one year. - siriusly - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 7:07 am: Mark Brown showing here why he is one of the better, more rational (ergo not paranoid and crazy) columnists we have in Chicago. - South of I-80 - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 7:13 am: Talk abou the “Emperor’s new cloths”. To save face he should be looking and responding to the numbers more realistically. - Wensicia - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 7:17 am: Maybe Brady is hoping the U.S. Supreme Ct will step in and declare all 19,561 votes invalid and give him the job. - SUE - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 7:28 am: ‘Illinois just lost its last opportunity to confront run-away public sector labor/benefit costs since Quinn and “Gov” Madigan have demonstrated no interest in taking this on- The Bond ratings will decline, borrowing costs will skyrocket and more layoffs are all but guaranteed- taking credit for the minor pension changes enacted for future hires and claiming victory is simply burying your heads in the sand(or someplace else where the sun doesn’t shine). The election outcome was paid for by the IEA, IFT, SEIU and AFSCME - so who can blame Quinn for borrowing more, raising taxes and continuing to let the public employees’ unions to dictate what will occur - The Shadow - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 7:29 am: Thankfully the better man won this election. - CircularFiringSquad - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 7:29 am: NoTaxBill just showing how he is stupefied over failing to beat Quinn when CommandoMakeItUp is going to DC. as a Senator. Simple. When your “plans” for governing look like you are in a bad air guitar contest, you fail to demonstrate any personal integrity and you drag along a lite gov candidate who cannot show his tax returns; the public has little to go on. Throw your ultra right wing voting, the hook up with Blagoof kinks and the artistry of Unkie Ron, who has proved he cannot win and cannot produce a winner even in the most ideal circumstances. Quinn brings a boat load of challenges and that helter skelter style, but ya got to love him. Time for the White Flag NoTaxBill. Get hoisting. Fire,Aim, Ready - Mike Ins - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 7:30 am: Well, to be fair, in less than 36 hours the vote total numbers DID in fact move substantially, well in excess of the roughly 8,000 votes Brady was “originally” down…. unfortunately for Team Brady the movement has gone 11,000 in the wrong direction. Put another way, if at midnight on Tues evening/Weds morning Brady had been up 8,000…. I don’t want to think about what people would be saying then. In the end who cares if he concedes, or when, like Wordslinger said. To me it is like winning the Super Bowl then being mostly focused on whether or not the losing coach shook hands with the winning coach. Yeah, it is tradition and a nice gesture and shows class yada yada but who really cares. You just won the Super Bowl. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 7:35 am: I would not like to be the one to tell Jason its over … To the point, 19k is a huge number. I said earlier, it might as well be 19 milliom … I am still with the idea that Brady can wait, if he wants for certification, and all the deadlines, but at some point … Jerry and Co. can now do Bill Brady a service and tell him that they might want to plan to close up shop. By shop, I mean that “Transition Team” rumor that is floating about that Jerry and Co. were meeting with hacks about the new administration days before election day, instead of asking the hacks where are the votes Brady will need on election day to win. Brutal! STAFF loss .. - wordslinger - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 7:41 am: Meh, maybe he is a sore loser. Doesn’t really matter. He hasn’t approached Bernie Epton sore-loserdom yet. He’s probably trying to figure how the GOP could sweep most of the Midwest on Tuesday and he’s the odd man out. He paid a price for the GOPs inability to put together even a shell of an organization in Cook County — the folks who knock on doors, distribute signs, make phone calls, etc. He got 394,000 votes in Cook, 240,000 more than DuPage. The GOP leaves a lot of votes on the field with its lack of presence in Cook. It’s strange. There are more GOP votes there than any county. But like anywhere else, you have to work to identify them and get them to the polls with an organization. - (618) Democrat - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 7:49 am: @SUE 07;28 =The election outcome was paid for by the IEA, IFT, SEIU and AFSCME= Every one of those unions represent Union workers, many of whom were working night and day to make sure Brady the most anti union and anti working men and women candidate to ever run for Governor did not become Governor. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 7:50 am: wordslinger … EXACTLY! - jimbo2600 - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 7:51 am: Will someone teach Bill how to count? It’s over guy. - G. Willickers - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 7:55 am: @Wordslinger - I think all those township committeemen in the suburbs would take exception to your complaint about leaving Cook County GOP votes in the field. Just ask Mike Sweeny, Ruth O’Donnell, Aaron Delmar and the rest about being a “shell” organization. - Bakersfield - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 7:57 am: I’ll give him the benefit right now because I believe those numbers really ratcheted up late in the day and everyone was covering the beer summit. That benefit expires at noon today, however. And Bill, please stop sending me fundraising requests as well, thanks. - South of the Loop - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:00 am: Brady needs to bow out like a man if he ever wants to run for anything again. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:00 am: Dear SUE: Article XIII, Section 5 of the Illinois Constitution: Membership in any pension or retirement system of the State, any unit of local government or school district, or any agency or instrumentality thereof, shall be an enforceable contractual relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired. Bill Brady, Tom Cross, Christine Radogno, The Chambers of Commerce, and the Chicago Tribune need to drop this ridiculous argument that if only the GOP were in charge, they would pass legislation that reduced the pensions of hundreds of thousands of teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public servants across the state. 1. The Illinois Constitution is unambiguous that pensions can’t be retroactively reduced. 2. Even a Constitutional amendment striking this provision could not be applied retroactively. 3. I think that after a good night’s sleep, the vast majority of Illinoisans would agree that there is something morally bankrupt about breaking your promise to hundreds of thousands of people. 4. Even if the Republicans were in charge, no one in their right mind believes they’d have enough votes to pass such a provision. Mike Bost is about as conservative as they come — ask him if he’d vote to reduce the pensions of SIU-C employees or prison guards. - MrJM - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:02 am: Peter flung out his arms. There were no children there, and it was night time; but he addressed all who might be dreaming of the Neverland, and who were therefore nearer to him than you think: boys and girls in their nighties, and naked papooses in their baskets hung from trees. “Do you believe?” he cried. Brady sat up in bed almost briskly to listen to his fate. He fancied he heard answers in the affirmative, and then again he wasn’t sure. “What do you think?” he asked Peter. “If you believe,” he shouted to them, “clap your hands; don’t let Brady-Plummer die!” Many clapped. Some didn’t. A few beasts hissed. The clapping stopped suddenly; as if countless mothers had rushed to their nurseries to see what on earth was happening; but already Bill was saved. First his voice grew strong, then he popped out of bed, then he was flashing through the room more merry and impudent than ever. He never thought of thanking those who believed, but he would have like to get at the ones who had hissed. – MrJM - Yellow Dog Democrat - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:02 am: === Brady needs to bow out like a man if he ever wants to run for anything again. === Bill Brady’s political career is done. Now that he’s petered out, I doubt he even runs for re-election to the Illinois Senate. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:02 am: G. Willickers — When a STAFF loses a race at a clip of 1 vote or so per precinct, with all due respect, you may feel these “Strong” organizations went 1000% for Brady … but in reality, there ARE votes left on the playing field, and Brady’s margins in those areas should have been considerably higher against his opponent in this race. Just a fact, sorry. At least, those can listed have the “look” of organizations …wether they ARE organizations is up to who/what organizations you want to compare them to as an organization. Bottom line, margins were no where near where they should have been, and field organization and lack of paid campaingn staff skill in this area is at fault, I think the numbers point to this conclusion. - VanillaMan - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:05 am: The unions did not buy this election. There are half the votes in Cook and Quinn won that county. The union message did not move voters outside Cook. In Cook there was no need of movement. The election results show two different Illinois. Chicago and Illinois. Each candidate wom BIG in his version. Each candidate lost BIG in the other half. So not only are we beyond broke, we did not even change politicians enough to perhaps change that. But now it is obvious that the current governor is disliked by half the state in nearly the entire state. You call that a win? After Blagojevich we get this? Chicago pays the bills so I do believe strongly that the City is too important to ignore. But at least recognize the reality of these results and stop pretending that they mean Illinois elected one of these guys. If Brady won I would be saying the exact same thing. And with results like this Brady did win, but not in Chicago. Get real spinsters. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:05 am: Brady is channeling Peraica. - ok - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:07 am: I think the question nobody is asking here is: Did Scott Lee Cohen concede yet? - wordslinger - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:12 am: G. Willy, I’ve lived in Cook 25 years. I’ve voted in both GOP and Dem primaries. Every general election, I’m inundated with Dem mail, (used to get calls before I got rid of my land line), lit drops plus a couple of canvassers. The only GOP contact I’ve had in 25 years is mail from Jason Plummer. - Rich Miller - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:17 am: Easy on Jerry, OK? He didn’t exactly have the greatest candidate in the world. Back when he signed on, few thought Brady could win, remember? - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:17 am: ===The only GOP contact I’ve had in 25 years is mail from Jason Plummer.=== wordslinger … are you ok … I repeat, are you ok? Also, I too have had contact like G Willy … however, these “organizations” are worse than “shell companies” found off-shore, with a telephone, an answering machine, and a yard sign in a window of an empty office … and that is during a campaign weekend! Just a fact. - OneMan - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:21 am: Part of me thinks this may end up being a good thing for the Republicans in this state long term… Four years of Pat and Mike going at it. - just sayin' - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:25 am: It’s over. But incredibly Bill Brady has started a “legal defense fund” to “make sure every vote is counted.” Check out Brady’s Facebook page for one thing. Putting aside the fact that we already pay with our taxes the people who actually do the counting, Brady is giving people false hope. Truly shameless. When you spend all your time badmouthing the area with the biggest concentration of voters by far, don’t expect a lot of votes from that area (i.e. Cook County and Chicago). You made your bed Bill. Deal with it like a man. Other than some puppies who maybe tried to chew up some ballots, there is no evidence of fraud or manipulation. - Ghost - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:26 am: Brady should take the lesson from Dillard on how to handlke this. If only Dillard had been the GOP canidate…. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:27 am: Rich, I get it on Jerry … but I have been consistant with this when it was Dillard and now with Brady. They went 180 degrees from where they were on the primary, in regards to being on the streets, and when you lose by 1+ vote a precinct, after winning by a slimmer margin, and getting beat by the way you won, Jerry has to wear the jacket. I am trying to be consistant (Dillard’s primary) and I give Jerry credit for hiding Plummer and even backed Jerry in my posts with Flannery saying Brady should have been more visable and Jerry made the choice and I reluctanly agrred with the decision Jerry made, even though Flannery took the campaign to task. I am not bashing to bash, I have been pretty consistant - if I thought the Paid Staff deserved praise, they got it, but 1+ vote a precinct is on the Paid Staff … Now Jason Plummer …lol … just kidding! - (618) Democrat - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:31 am: ==The union message did not move voters outside Cook== Wrong! I spoke with many union members who voted for a Democrat Governor candidate for the first time due to Brady’s draconian view of unions and their employees. - wordslinger - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:33 am: –But at least recognize the reality of these results and stop pretending that they mean Illinois elected one of these guys.– The reality is that Quinn was elected governor of Illinois. What parallel universe are you operating from? - BigTwich - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:34 am: It will take some time for the vote to be certified. I am sure Brady will use this opportunity to continue to organize his administration. - Amalia - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:36 am: to the Brady acolyte who posted that I was “drinking the Quinn coolaid,” (and, yes, coolaid)……nope, just voting for him, and so very glad that more of us did that for Quinn than for Brady. I don’t know what you have to drink to support an anti working, and virulently anti choice person, but I sure don’t want to drink that! - Cindy Lou - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:36 am: I agree with that somewhat, 618. The last few weeks I heard many times ” I have not ever voted Democrat party” , yet they were voting for Quinn in this one. - Wally - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:50 am: I can certainly see why people voted for a guy so we can all “experience” 12 years of Blago/Quinn, the guys who have created a 13 billion dollar hole. Watch those taxes increase and watch the deficit grow—15 billion, 20 billion………. Yep, that was a sound choice alright! - Rick - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:51 am: Quinn got almost as many votes statewide excluding Cook county as he did from cook County alone. Which by my calculator was almost 40% of the downstate votes. So we cant say only Cook county carried this election. From the get go I didnt hear any plan from Brady on what he inteneded to do. He stayed on the sidelines and benefitted from Quinn’s actions or inactions. This i think cost him statewide. But just my opinion. I am glad this is over and I dont expect anything to change. - Ton - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 8:54 am: What about those who assert that in Cook County people committed fraud by voting more than once? Is there any validity to this assertion or is it another biased right-wing opinion? - just sayin' - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:01 am: Ton, you guessed it, it’s “another biased right-wing opinion.” Anyone spreading that needs to take off the tin foil hat, get out of the black helicopter, and produce the evidence. For all the phony talk about being for personal responsibility, Republicans in this state are the first ones to point fingers at bogey men to divert attention away from their own incompetence. And usually the bogey men are from minority areas. - Elmhurst - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:02 am: It’s up to those who assert fraud to show the validity of what they’re claiming. Just saying “because it’s Cook County” is basically meaningless. Unless someone comes with something real, it’s just as much hyperventilating about fantasy problems as “claims” of voter fraud are around the country. Even if there were something there, it would have to be literally thousands of instances of it to matter for to the outcome. Of course, the point isn’t the proof or the fact of the statement, the point of saying “vote fraud” is to say it and make people distrust the results. - soccermom - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:03 am: I would be happy to help the GOP put together a ground game for the next election. I found a surprising number of Cook County Republicans just by knocking on doors — in liberal Oak Park, believe it or not. And I was using a Dem list. Really, guys — feel free to give me a call. Bring your checkbooks. - Statewide - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:04 am: While waiting for the next pronouncement from the we-can’t-lose-it’s-a-slam-dunk committee who brought you the puppy gas chamber bill, we can enjoy some alternative programming like Puppy Bowl VI on YouTube. It is way more appealing than the alternative, as is apparently, Governor Pat Quinn. Are there more than 19,561 pet lovers in Illinois? Hmmmm… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ozn-OytW-c - ChrisChicago82-Independent - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:04 am: “The election results show two different Illinois. Chicago and Illinois. Each candidate wom BIG in his version. Each candidate lost BIG in the other half… it is obvious that the current governor is disliked by half the state in nearly the entire state. You call that a win?” There is actually a lot of merit behind this statement. They ran a story on the Sun Times yesterday which stated that Quinn won less southern and central precincts in 2010 then Blago did in 2006 (Quinn won 3, whereas Blago won north of 20). So there is a point to be made about this being a tale of a city and or county vs the rest of the state. However… when has this not been the case? I think where the battle was really lost was in suburban Cook. Al though I knew Quinn would win the county (we all did) , the margins suggest Brady just turned off a sizeable amount more voters then a Republican normally would. Between how socially conservative he was, and the fact that he practically ignored the county up until September, it just made for a bad mix. I just feel bad for Dilliard and even McKenna. Damn shame those two could not win the primary. - BigDog - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:07 am: Brown may have a valid point, but if he’s going to jump on Brady for something as harmless as this, why doesn’t he jump on Ricky Hendon for the incendiary comments he was making on election night when the numbers were still completely up in the air? He basically stated explicitly that he suspected the pubs were in the process of committing fraud to rig the numbers in their favor while the returns were still coming in. He made some of the most unprofessional comments I’ve ever heard from an elected official, but he never seems to get slammed much for it in the media. Why is that?? - Bakersfield - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:10 am: I agree with Rich on Jerry and Co mainly because they ran the perfect primary campaign to even be in this spot. We can speculate over and over why Brady lost but I can speak for 2 friends and a parent who are independents or dems who all think Quinn is a complete muppet, but when they got their ballots they just could not vote for Brady and ended up voting for Quinn. I guarantee there where 20,000+ of those voters out there in Cook and across the state. Oh well. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:11 am: Let’s be clear, the Brady Campaign in the primary did just that … all over the state, and it carried Brady in that primary, and worked because of the DuPage inept Perfect Storm candidates … they just forgot how they won, and a ground game was not a prong of their general election campaign plan … and when you lose by that slim 1+ vote a precinct margin … and if you used the prong in the primary that could very well have been what could have saved the Brady Campagin … It was not an issue of DOING … it was the issue of IMPLEMENTING … and the Paid Staff made the call … so soccermom, ask them if they want you to do it next time … but do they want it done until they win, or until they are the nominee? - Elmhurst - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:12 am: Unless we had some sort of bizarre 18th Century voting system where a person’s vote is multiplied by acreage owned, “counties won” is high on the list of most meaningless election stats. It makes a cool looking graphic, but it’s just this side of meaningless in a one person, one vote world. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:14 am: === I just feel bad for Dilliard and even McKenna. Damn shame those two could not win the primary.=== Then I hope “next time” they take a field operation seriously, then you won’t have to feel bad for them … Also … Bakersfield …If you ID “pluses”, and you get those “solids” to the polls … then that 20k you speak of could be offset by the “ground game” pluses … but Brady had no ground game to find ground game pluses and it cost him … - just sayin' - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:14 am: Bill Brady provided zero specifics about what he would do as governor and his big legislative accomplishment from 17 yrs in Springfield was a bill to gas puppies in mass. And he failed there too (thankfully). I really don’t see why the Quinn win should be such a big surprise. - Bakersfield - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:15 am: Elmhurst- what about an electoral college for the state? Can I get a yes? That should be AB1, I’m sure it will totally fly. - Quinn T. Sential - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:15 am: {I don’t know what you have to drink to support an anti working, and virulently anti choice person, but I sure don’t want to drink that!} The Illinois Senate will be back at the Capitol today to consider borrowing $4 billion to help close a hole in the state budget, but there’s no guarantee that legislation will pass even in a post-election atmosphere. Pressure remains for the Senate to resolve the borrowing impasse before the new session begins in mid-January. Here’s why: The state’s finances remain in an unprecedented mess, with the deficit poised to hit $15 billion by mid-2011. Borrowing would help the state make $3.8 billion in payments to the state’s pension system. How many; or what percentage of women in Illinois would be impacted if at all, or in any way by a Governor Bill Brady on the issue of “choice”? Conversely, how many; or what percentage of women in Illinois would be impacted if at all, or in any way by a Governor Pat Quinn on the issue of fiscal responsibility? Cullerton spokesman John Patterson said Thursday’s session was scheduled long ago to accommodate Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn’s request for a Senate vote. The “idea being that Republicans might reconsider their position on the pension payment plan after the election,” Patterson said. With any luck at all; they will provide the tone deaf Governor in sign language with a unanimous NO vote, but given the lack of leadership there, I am not counting on it. Women who were frightened into voting for Pat Quinn are about to get the first installment of the bill, and they can then have an overwhelming sense of pride in their “choice”, and its cost to themselves, and their children. When they are left wondering why their sons and daughters will not be returning to Illinois to raise their own children, and assist their parents in covering the bills and enjoying the company of their grandchildren, they can look back on the “choice” they made on Tuesday. Such naivette comes with a very steep price tag, and the per capita costs for those unfortunate souls left behind, by those make the “choice” to flee Illinois and its incompetent and corrupt government, will be staggering. Such are the choices people make. Now that the bed; for the majority who have made it is ready, they can now climb back in go to sleep. They should not be surprised however when they awaken, and there is no one left to serve them their breakfast in the morning. - dave - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:15 am: I agree with Rich on Jerry and Co mainly because they ran the perfect primary campaign to even be in this spot. Jerry didn’t run Brady’s primary campaign. - dave - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:15 am: Oops- html typo… - colby - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:16 am: Oswego @ 7:35: To be fair, starting your transition before the election is getting to be pretty common (both Obama and McCain did it), and hell, it should be. It makes you look presumptuous, sure, but that’s worth the upside of hitting the ground running. One Man @ 8:21: ILGOP will be back someday soon, but if the Madigan/Blago turf wars couldn’t give them an opening, Madigan/Quinn won’t, either. They should forget about messaging on how awful Springfield Dems are and start messaging on how awesome Mark Kirk is. Build out from Lake and North Suburban Cook and take the suburbs back. As for the general union comments, I can’t speak to every union (or even union strategy per se) but my family is all teachers in central IL. Most of them vote straight Republican, but couldn’t bring themselves to vote for Brady. I don’t know if they received any word from IEA or not, but that’s where they were. Dunno what Brady coulda done about that, though; he really WAS just more conservative then they’d like on education. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:20 am: colby … The primary Brady Campaign compared to the General Election Brady Campaign was different and when hacks are called off to meet about the “transition” and you lose by the margin Bill Brady lost by the “Measuring the Curtains…” impression is hard to shake, no matter what is “protocol” - ZC - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:23 am: It’s tough to have a ground game in an area where you have no elected officials. It may be changing now as Rich notes Downstate, but the Dems have always had this big advantage, that they had actual candidates downstate, with local supporters, -and- in Cook County suburbs, -and- in Chicago. Local candidates = ground game. You can’t just suddenly import a bunch of volunteers and blanket the state (not that’s what people are saying). Until the GOP figures out a way to make more inroads into Chicago and some of the nearby Cook suburbs, or the Dem base outside Cook utterly shrivels up, advantage Dems. - dave - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:28 am: Dunno what Brady coulda done about that, though How about not say that he was going to cut at least 10% from education? My very conservative (though become more and more moderate) mother, who voted for McCain, voted for Quinn on Tuesday. A big reason is that she is a teacher. - ChrisChicago82-Independent - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:29 am: “Until the GOP figures out a way to make more inroads into Chicago and some of the nearby Cook suburbs, or the Dem base outside Cook utterly shrivels up, advantage Dems.” I dont see that happening in my lifetime. I really dont. Chicago is so “blue” as is Cook County in general, that it would take 25% unemployment under a Dem regime to merely shake them, and even then (as id evidenced by Babs Boxer getting re-elected by a wide margin in CA) Chicago and Cook would still be blue. The demographics, the union presence, and the entitlement culture is just far too heavy for Republicans to fair well. - wordslinger - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:29 am: –To be fair, starting your transition before the election is getting to be pretty common (both Obama and McCain did it)– The jobs aren’t comparable in size, scope and responsibilities. Not even close. - (618) Democrat - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:30 am: @Quinn T. Sential 09:15 Run! Run! The sky is falling!! LOL - wordslinger - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:38 am: Seriously, Chris, in your lifetime? I’ve seen Republicans elected countywide in Cook in my lifetime. I’ve seen GOP statewide candidates carry Cook County. Certainly many have done better than 29%, like Brady. This is good, though: –The demographics, the union presence, and the entitlement culture is just far too heavy for Republicans to fair well.– Hilarious. Everyone in Cook is just sitting around waiting on their welfare check or hanging at their featherbed union job. Is it possible to be that out of touch with reality? Cook County and the Chicago metro is a capitalist giant. Why some Republicans ignore that is astounding to me. It’s easier to deal in stereotypes, I guess. - Levois - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:41 am: Brady did great, but it’s not going happen. Sorry. - Mike Ins - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:44 am: Chicago may be a capitalist giant, but those giants are not necessarily voting in Chicago precincts. - ChrisChicago82-Independent - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:45 am: “It’s easier to deal in stereotypes, I guess.” The only thing easier is denial. Agree to disagree. - OneMan - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:45 am: == It makes a cool looking graphic, but it’s just this side of meaningless in a one person, one vote world. == Not it’s not ‘meaningless’ it does illustrate the voting patterns in this state. In particular the areas that Brady won that normally a Democrat does not win. Yes, it is the votes that count, but it is interesting to compare parts of the state and useful - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:48 am: Yeah, ChrisChicago … Repubs have made more than “inroads” in the past, the snapshot of the last election(s) … but there are ways Repubs do well and win in Cook .. and it has been in your lifetime …. - wordslinger - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:48 am: Mike, sigh, Brady got 394,000 votes in Cook. Keats got 350,000 doing nothing. There are more GOP votes in Cook — and more left in the field — than anywhere in the state. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:51 am: wordslinger, Do you remember a time when we had “U of I Trustee” numbers? That was the measuring stick about R or D stength in any geographic area in the state … and further, did you know WHERE the most R “U of I Trustee” votes were … yep, Cook County … I guess wodslinger, you and I will just have to agree to disagree with Chris … - Bill - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:53 am: Qinnie, The problem with you guys is that you think that you are so much smarter than everybody else and that only you know what is best for all of us members of the “great unwashed”. Well, here’s a news flash. Here in America our votes count just as much as yours and there are more of us. Yeah, the state should pay it debts and take care of its less fortunate and keep promises it has made to its public servants and if that means that guys like you have to pay a little more tyaxes then too bad. Go ahead and move if you don’t like it here. My guess is that you couldn’t afford to. That being the case then I guess that you will just have to shut up and pay. - ChrisChicago82-Independent - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:53 am: “but there are ways Repubs do well and win in Cook” Sustainably? Where a Republican “mark” has been left? Are you telling me that Cook County is not engraved in deep blue? I’m not talking about the ability for Republicans, in a given cycle, to take a district. I am talking about the ability of the Republican party to make a permanent mark on the county. That will NEVER happen. If you are telling me different there is no reason for us to even debate. - progressive voice - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:57 am: Oh Sue. Unions “bought the election”, huh? Right. Although I don’t have the figures in front of me, from all the tv, radio and mailers I received, at best unions were able to keep pace against the boatload of cash spent by: the RGA; Chamber of Commerce; the “abortion is murder” folks; Tort deform people; that group that keeps claiming the “government” is going to tax “food they think is bad”; the folks who the very Republic itself is at risk unless we have tax cuts…on and on and on. Please spare us. Brady lost. Despite his many shortcomings, he failed to execute a strategy that would get him to 50%+1. - Grandson of Man - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 9:58 am: Yes, the relatively few thousands of us AFSCME members won the election for Quinn by getting in the brains of over one million voters and actually taking it over and voting against their will. That would be a good C-rated film: “Quinn Zombies in Crook County.” Brady offered not many specifics about how he would solve this mammoth budget crisis. He’s had years in government to think about this. Quinn has a very tough job, and it’s not only the Democrats who have clout setups. The Republicans also get funding from very wealthy individuals and groups, and their views are advanced. But it’s okay for some that the wealthy can defend themselves, but when poorer workers form organizations for their defense, it becomes a disproportional problem for some. - Amalia - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 10:04 am: Elmhurst is so right, the counties won thing is just silly. as for Republicans in the Chicago area, maybe they are not as conservative as Brady, and are more like…..let’s see, who won….Kirk! Time for a look at the numbers, but the Dold Seals race vs. Brady Quinn numbers should say a great deal. while the Seals folks tried to paint Dold as anti choice, by detailing his supporters, his actual positions on choice are different. and that makes a difference to the average woman in the Chicago burbs. Pro choice Republicans don’t always win the governor’s race….see JBTopinka…..but the last RGov who did was pro choice running against an anti choice Dem. Brady, too extreme for Illinois. - Treat or Treat - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 10:08 am: So is this when they get the ‘hooked cane’ and drag Brady off the stage? Or is he going to leave peacefully? Please don’t be a sore loser. Have some dignity and respect for the winner(s). - Quiet Sage - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 10:14 am: A narrative is growing on the political right that Quinn stole the election (for example, comments on WLS radio that the results were “fishy”). By refusing to concede an election that is close but certainly not razor-thin, Brady is feeding into this narrative. So, by the way, is the State Journal-Register by their headline story yesterday that the Governor’s race is still unresolved. - Anonymous - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 10:15 am: A win by the Governor who, like the Governor in last election, failed to capture a majority of the votes cast and only wins by a very slim margin certainly must consider how much real support he will receive for any policies he may want to enact. I would imagine the majority leadership in both legislative chambers is aware of this as well, especially since both majorities are at least somewhat diminished after this election. There is no clear mandate upon which the Governor can rely to support any policy proposal or implementation. Then again, other than a tax increase, there have been no clear policy positions made that I am aware of. - Ton - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 10:15 am: I really though Brady was going to win based on the barrage of negative commercials portraying Quinn as a Failure - that commercial stuck in my mind for the longest time. Maybe had Brady made an ad of himself giving us his ideas and plans to correct the mess we’re in, but all I remember are negative commercials. I barely remember hearing from him, except in the debates of which I only listened to one. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 10:26 am: ===I really though Brady was going to win based on the barrage of negative commercials…=== Ads, Yard Signs, Mail Pieces, Palm Cards … one thing they all have in common: They don’t vote. People Vote. - Quinn T. Sential - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 10:30 am: 618 and Bill, I’ll always have a place here that I can “call home” but in the not too distant future I will have residency established in a more fiscally restrained place that will allow me the opportunity to keep more of my own money and decide how to prioritize spending it myself. In the meantime, Illinois will lose at least one congressional seat and suffer a reduction in its electoral voting power; and likely more in the future. All the while the per capita cost of the state debt will continue to rise for the two of you, and I will have no problem leaving that behind for you to look after. Even though there may be more of you tahn me that showed up at the polls, when there are more of me than you that have left Illinois you can continue to have all of the government that you wish to afford, until you finally figure out that you can no longer afford it. - Irish - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 10:35 am: I agree with VM’s point that neither Brady nor Quinn won the election. Brady lost the election. I believe that is borne out in many of the comments made here today. Brady came out originally with his 10% across the board cuts. He also alluded to the fact that education would not be spared, and that he was in favor of making Illinois a right-to-work state. He later backed off of these points, began to moderate a little and his numbers started going up. He met with some of the teachers and it appeared that he might be somebody they could work with. But then the Tea Party people came to town and he started going back to his earlier conservative talking points which he carried out to election day. I know a lot of people who walked into the voting booth not knowing which way to go but in the end they were fearful that Brady would be the ultra conservative and not the moderate and just would not take the chance. So they voted against him. - Wally - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 10:35 am: Quiet Sage———If the SJR stated the race is still unresolved, the race must be really be unresolved. Amalia——-Brady is a strong Catholic and Catholics are typically pro life. That is his belief. Ask Dick Durbin about his stance and an incident where a priest refused to give him communion. - Justica O ! - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 10:46 am: On Twitter..Brady’s Chief of Staff even was tweeting for 3 days before the election about going shopping for a new dress..hanging at starbucks..dating woes etc..Paid Staff really let the Brady campaign down and were too busy hustling for jobs instead of pushing out the votes for election day. GOTV failed. Staff failed. Chalk up the loss to them. Failure to catch and ride the GOP wave came down to complacency and arrogance of the staff. Now it is time to concede and move forward before even that becomes unrealistic. - Anonymous - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 10:47 am: We need “None of the above” on our ballots to reduce cynicism about ballot tampering and election rigging, as well as remind candidates they seldom have public mandates or broad public support. - hisgirlfriday - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 11:00 am: Puhleeze, to the GOP organization in Cook County, especially the city where people are fed up and hungry for some kind of opposition party, being anything other than a joke. The Chicago GOP has been nothing but an embarrassment only making the news to waste time and money on stupid anti-Madigan stunts to give John Kass a column to write and goofy and offensive Web site pictures that turn off the very same voters they are supposed to attract. Speaking of Web sites, maybe I could be persuaded to give the 42nd ward GOP candidates a whirl if when I went to their Web site they could even spell the word “view” properly (gop42.com). Yikes. This election I was blissfully mostly ignored by the candidates, only piece of mail I got was a bizarro Sharron Angle funding request and only calls I got were some completely unintelligble garbled voice mails from water candidates but the night before the election I did get a personal, rambling GOTV call from Pat Quinn. None of this changed who I would vote for, but I given that have voted in a GOP primary in the last 10 years and I did vote for JBT four years ago yet the Illinois GOP and Chicago GOP haven’t spent any time trying to win me over to their side why should I consider giving them a vote when they haven’t paid me any attention when some out-of-state Republican has? What gives? - Joe Blow - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 11:01 am: Why doesn’t everyone just shut up and let them count the votes.. get the totals.. and then he can concede. Pretty simple.. Everyone wants everything now now now.. - Newsclown - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 12:57 pm: I think the Illinois election wars of the future will be proxy wars fought by third parties, funded by the main two parties. The election math seems to work easier, the more you divide up the pie. The new favored strategy is “winning ugly” , but yes, WINNING, by fractionating the electorate to the point that 20-30 percent of the vote will be a “majority”. The problem will be in how the Dems and Repubs can hide the money they use for these sock-puppet third party efforts. My guess is they will let Corporate America and PACs be the arm of the puppets, as well as the buffer. Don’t pay the extra candidates directly, but pay the corporations that pay the candidates. Cynical? Heck yes. Impossible? Wanna bet? - ZC - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 1:32 pm: I was curious, so I went back and looked up some numbers. For starters: the GOP -already- does well in a lot of the Cook County burbs. Don’t bash Cook County, Republicans Downstate. You win a lot of votes there. Just for starters, Brady won the Cook County townships of Leyden, Wheeling, Elk Grove, Hanover, New Trier, Barrington, Palatine, Schaumburg and Maine. That’s just on the north side of Cook. Don’t know about the west side. But what’s the organization like, up there? I remember one of my students telling me the last honest-to-goodness GOP ground game in northern Cook was in Leyden Township. Don’t know if that’s still true or no. But if so, that’s not good. What jumps out to me are Wheeling, Maine and Schaumburg townships on the North side. They’re all relatively vote-rich (like 30,000+ in a midterm). And the GOP is carrying them barely, like just over 50%. Just as a piece of free advice from a Dem, if I were trying to win back the governor’s mansion, I’d be organizing the heck out of townships like those in suburban Cook. There have got to be more Republican votes you can shake out of the trees there. These next four years, go get them. - Quinncidence?...I think not - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 2:13 pm: Brady’s primary’s victory left him so shocked he filed his puppy-gassing bill. But he really screwed up when he began thinking, err, believing, he couldn’t lose. Perhaps he should have conducted his premature Gov-transition meetings even earlier…an actually come up with a plan he could articluate. - downstater - Thursday, Nov 4, 10 @ 4:51 pm: Well if Quinn is it & it appears to be the case…heaven help us all. These past 2 years have proved to be a financial & administrative disaster not to mention the previous 6 with Blago… so why not then the next 4. They sent back virtually everyone to Springfield who can effect the game…namely Quinn & the GA with little changes there. I wouldn’t say the ads were as much negative as they were stating some facts that just weren’t pleasant. Oh well..as the state continues to not pay it bills, grow deeper in debt, un-employment continues to climb , jobs leaving in record numbers & no real plan in sight except tax, borrow & spend….Oh well. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.